There are a number of myths and misconceptions when it comes to fitness. Here are some of the ones I hear the most, and why they are simply not true.

1. You can spot reduce fat

You absolutely cannot spot reduce fat. If you have extra fat in your abdomen, you will not lose that fat by doing a million crunches. People lose fat from adipose deposit areas in the reverse order that they accumulated that fat. Adipose deposit areas are largely genetically determined. Many women first gain fat in their hips and thighs, while many men gain fat first in their abdominal region. So wherever your body gains fat first as you gain weight, that is the last place you are going to lose it from. The only way to lose that stubborn fat from your abs and thighs is to lower your overall body fat percentage.

2. Women who lift weights will get bulky

I think I hear this one the most lately and it just makes me laugh. A very small percentage of women actually possess the genetic potential to experience significant hypertrophy or “bulk-up”. This is because women typically have less muscle tissue and lower levels of anabolic hormones than males. If gaining large muscle was so easy, everyone would be walking around really jacked, and as we know, they are not. Building muscle is very hard work. Even if a woman did want to bulk up, its extremely difficult. So you are certainly not going to accidentally get bulky simply by adding resistance training into your fitness routine. Lifting weights is actually extremely important for women, and everyone to do, but we’ll save that argument for another article.

In both an effort to lose weight, feel healthier, and out of sheer curiosity, I decided to try out the vegan diet. I haven’t been feeling so great the past few weeks. I’ve been having a lot of nausea and intense burning in my stomach, it’s been horrible. I had been interested in the many benefits of a vegan diet for a while and I thought now would be as good a time as any to try it out. I figured I would try it for a week to see how I liked it; maybe it would even help me feel a little better, couldn’t hurt, right?

I don’t eat much meat to begin with and I stay away from dairy because I’m lactose intolerant, so I didn’t think this would be too hard for me to accomplish. But as I soon found out, being vegan means being very careful about every little thing you buy and eat. Some things that you wouldn’t at first glance think about as being non-vegan, are. If any product you buy is made with the tiniest bit of milk, eggs, or honey…boom, not vegan. I eat pretty healthy to begin with, mostly whole foods and anything packaged I always read the ingredients list to ensure its made of good, healthful ingredients. But now I found myself having to watch even more closely.

I decided to plan out all my meals for the week and make a big shopping trip to get everything I’d need. I knew my best bet would be to prepare as much as possible. So I perused Pinterst and found some great recipes, made up a shopping list and headed to the store. Like I said, you have to be very careful about everything you buy when you’re trying to maintain a vegan diet. You can tell if something is vegan by looking at the ingredients but one thing I found pretty helpful as well is my “Fooducate” App, I put in my dietary preferences that I was vegan, so every time I scanned an item it would tell me if it was vegan or not. I love this app, it’s really helpful to make good healthy choices at the grocery store and even offers alternatives to any product you scan that might not be so good for you.

So you’re new to the gym. “What do I do? Where do I start?” If you haven’t been to a gym in a while, especially if you haven’t worked out at all in a while, the gym can be pretty overwhelming and intimidating. Don’t worry, we’ve all been there. Everyone has to start somewhere. Everyone has a first day at the gym. Your greatest tool is preparation. Have you ever heard the quote by Benjamin Franklin “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail”? This is so true of many things, especially the gym. So let’s go through a few things you need to know to get you prepped and ready to feel confident going to the gym and have an amazing workout.

What To Wear And What To Bring

Before you even go to the gym, it’s important to think about what you’re going to wear and what you’re going to bring with you to the gym. Wear something comfortable that you can move in, also, if your gym has a dress code, make sure to pay attention to that as well. I like to wear leggings, a sports bra, and a tank top. Another important thing is your shoes, you need good, comfortable sneakers. The exact type of shoe would depend on what you’re doing at the gym (lifting, running, etc) I personally really like my Nike Free 5.0s, they are really comfortable and versatile. They work well for lifting and cardio for me.

Also think about what you want to bring with you to the gym. A water bottle is a must, you need to stay hydrated. Make sure you also bring your workout plan with you. Other optional things to bring would be an ipod with a good upbeat playlist for working out and some headphones, I know for me, music can make all the difference in my workout sometimes, it really helps me focus and get in the zone. You could also bring a heart rate monitor if you have one. You don’t want to bring a ton with you, however most gyms have lockers you could utilize if need be.

Have A Plan And Stick To It

Far too often I see people in the gym do a couple reps on a machine, and then move on and use another random machine, and they just seem all over the place. They are using random equipment without any real goal in mind. You should find a workout plan, print it out, or save it on your phone, and take it to the gym with you. There are so many workout plans you can try based on your goals. I love BodyBuilding.com and Crush60.com. If you have an actual workout plan in front of you, then you can go to the gym knowing, “okay, today I’m doing legs, and these are the exercises I’m going to do.” That eliminates wondering around the gym wondering what you’re going to do next, using random, unrelated machines.

As promised, I am starting to do some reviews of popular workout programs/ DVDs. Everything I review will be programs I have gone through myself, so you’ll be getting first hand reviews and experiences from me. I’ll break them down so you get a general idea of what each workout entails, what equipment you’ll need, and some pros and cons of each program, so you can make an informed choice before deciding which workout is right for you.

I thought I would start by reviewing a workout program I have been doing for a few years: Jillian Micheals Yoga Meltdown. I first purchased this DVD a few years ago when I began on my health/ fitness journey. I’ve used it on and off over the years, working it in between other workout routines I’ve been trying. When I first started this program I was not in good shape at all. I had not worked out regularly for close to two years at that point. Just to give you an idea of where I was fitness wise at the start of this program.

This is not your typical yoga workout. If anything I would have to say it’s not yoga so much as inspired by yoga and yoga poses. It takes classic yoga poses, modifies them and adds repetition. This helps you to strength train with the weight of your own body, and get your heart rate up (a little). I personally enjoy this type of “yoga” over the slow sequences of traditional yoga.

This infographic was shared with me by The Pain Management and Injury Relief Medical Center. Suffering from a bad knee myself, I found this information very useful. So if you’re currently struggling with arthritis, knee, hip, ankle, or shoulder joint pain, give this article a quick read to learn how to help manage your pain through exercise and stretching.

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Meet Mallorie Mae

She's an ACE Certified Personal Trainer and the founder of Eat Real Healthy Food, a lifestyle blog encompassing healthy eating, recipes, wellness, and fitness. Eat Real Healthy Food came to life as part of Mallorie's own journey to find health, fitness, and happiness. Subscribe to her blog to follow along on her journey. Read More →

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